Wire-wound electronic components (for example, coil components) according to related art include a ceramic core and a winding. The ceramic core has an axial core part, and a pair of flanges located at both ends of the axial core part. The winding is wound around the axial core part (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-317591). The ceramic core is manufactured as follows. First, as illustrated in FIG. 16A, a lower punch 103 is inserted into a fill cavity 102 in a die 101, and the fill cavity 102 is filled with a charge of ceramic powder 110. Subsequently, an upper punch 105 is advanced into the fill cavity 102 as illustrated in FIG. 16B. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 16C, the ceramic powder 110 filled in the fill cavity 102 is pressed with the lower punch 103 and the upper punch 105 to compact the ceramic powder 110 into a green compact 200. Subsequently, the green compact 200 is ejected from the die 101 as illustrated in FIG. 16D. The green compact 200 is then fired to produce a ceramic core. At this time, each of the lower punch 103 and the upper punch 105 is formed such that its portion corresponding to the axial core part and its portion corresponding to the flange are formed integrally.
Advances in miniaturization and performance of electronic devices such as cellular phones have also led to increasing demand for greater miniaturization and improved characteristics (for example, higher inductances) of wire-wound electronic components incorporated in such electronic devices. To meet such demands, it is becoming increasingly necessary for ceramic cores to provide increased area on which a winding can be wound (that is, increased winding area) while achieving miniaturization. Unfortunately, it has been difficult with the above-mentioned manufacturing method to manufacture a ceramic core that meets the above-mentioned demand.